Tips for Surviving Your First Webcast

Doing your very first live webcast can be nerve wracking. If you don’t want the whole thing to turn into a disaster, here are a few tips on how to pull it off:

Promote before your webcast

You want to reach out to as many of your target audience as you can, says the Social Media Examiner. Letting them know about the webcast in advance will ensure that they’ve got the date marked on their calendar. Use photos or an explainer video to build up excitement for the event. Do a countdown. This way, you’ll get as many of your target market as you want. Don’t forget to send another reminder to your audience before you go live. You never know. This could help you generate last-minute audience members as well.

Practice, practice, practice

Make sure you’ve got your presentation down pat. Run through your entire routine. Know your lines. If you don’t practice, you might end up winging it. And that’s not going to make your audience happy. Remember, they don’t have to stay for the entire broadcast. If they see something they don’t like 10 or 20 minutes into the live webcast, they could just leave and never come back. So give them a reason to stay. Practice until you know the words and cues by heart.

Be prepared

Have the apps, video clips or documents you need at hand. That way, you won’t have to spend minutes just scouring through your folders for a software or program you need. You’re not just wasting your audience’s time that way, looking through your personal files could potentially unearth ones you’d rather your audience didn’t see.

Pick the right location

Distractions can get in the way of your audience fully focusing on what you say. So go with a location that’s quiet. Check for ambient noise. Try to minimize it as much as you can. While your presentation is ongoing, make sure you have zero distractions around. Constant foot traffic can disrupt your presentation or distract your audience and that’s the last thing you want when you’re trying to drive home a point.

Check your connection

Figure out which location has the best connection. That’s your spot. Poor connection isn’t going to do you any favors. If you want your video to come through loud and clear, make sure your connection is solid. Otherwise, your audience isn’t going to get the best experience out of it. When your next webcast comes up, this might just give them a reason to skip the broadcast.

Invest in a system

You’ll need to have a reliable system in the first place for all this to work out. That’s where tools like BlueJeans live webcasting services come in, with a slew of features that allow you to hold an interactive video conference. Worried about the number of participants? Don’t be. The system is fully designed to accommodate thousands. So you can reach out to as much of your target market as you want. That’s the kind of exposure you want if you want to see consumer engagement improve when it comes to your products or services.

Know how it works

Forbes says to be able to provide your audience with the best webcast viewing experience, you’ll want to master whatever live streaming channel or tool you have. The best one in the world won’t mean a darn bit of good if you don’t know how to use it. So know how to work your tools. Explore any and all available features. Play with the possibilities. The more adept you are at using those tools, the better the webcast will go. No blunders or glitches. No annoying lag times. There’ll be less mistakes. Those things matter, especially when you’re trying to make a great first impression on your target audience.

Offer value

There are plenty of webcasts online. Not everyone’s going to click on yours unless you give them a reason to. So think about what your audience needs. Offer to resolve issues or provide them with handy tips. Create step by step guides. Make them up a list of do’s and don’ts. If you offer them something new and useful, they’ll come back for more.

Be you

Competition is a fact of business. You’ll need to learn how to distinguish yourself from other sites or businesses offering the same lineup of services and products. That’s where you come in. Offer your customers something they can’t get anywhere else. Interact with them in the way no one else can. Be engaging, personable and pleasant. Make them want to talk to you. The more likable you are, the less likely for your customers to go shopping elsewhere. Once you’ve established a loyal following, you’ll reap the benefits for life.

So set the success of your future webcasts with your first one. Pay attention to these tips to help you survive the experience and you’ll come out of it on top.